A Cursed Land
by TheBoldMask
Summary: "Try and imagine a perfect world but one that is as dangerous as a glittering snake. Or a world corrupted by a terrible evil. This is the land I was born into, but it was stolen from me and I will fight until it is mine again. I am the son of Kovu and Kiara, and I will avenge my family and save them."


**A Cursed Land**

**Summary:** "Try and imagine a perfect world but one that is as dangerous as a glittering snake. Or a world corrupted by a terrible evil. This is the land I was born into, but it was stolen from me and I will fight until it is mine again. I am the son of Kovu and Kiara, and I will avenge my family and save them."

**Disclaimer: **I'll only say this once I don't own _Disney's_ Lion King.

**Author's note: **This isn't your ordinary TLK fanfic, I don't know if everyone will like it but please give it a chance. You only live once! It might be amazing! So read it! Oh, and it's the first one I've posted here...so be gentle on my noobness -_-

**Light and Shadows**

**Amun**

No, I won't describe the Pridelands to you, because I will never capture their beauty. Try and imagine a perfect world but one that is as dangerous as a glittering snake. Or a world corrupted by a terrible evil. This is the land I was born into, but it was stolen from me and I will fight until it is mine again. I did become strong and learned to fight but even I had some weaknesses…her…I won't, and I cannot describe the lioness I fell in love with to you, as the light of her eyes is far brighter than the light of the sun and I fear it might burn you, I cannot describe her flashing claws, sharp enough to rip your heart into a thousand pieces and I cannot describe her beauty, just as a pool of water, necessary for survival but enough to drown in. This is the life I have lived. It is one of passion, one of danger and fear, and the very worst of a lion's vices.

I do not welcome you to share this with me, I can only warn you: this is a story that will lead you into the darkness and back again. This is my story: Amun's story.

The first thing I remember is how it all began.

"Kovu! No!" My mother screamed, racing into the darkness. I heard her sobs and her pleas, and I could also hear my father's roars and growls. But there was something else in the darkness, something I couldn't see and had never heard before. "Get away from him! No! Stop! Please! Have mercy!"

"Mom!" I cried, trying to run out after her, but I was caught by the huge claws of my grandmother. I looked up and saw the fear and warning in her eyes. I immediately snapped my mouth shut, terrified.

Suddenly a horrible scream rent the air. My mother's cry of grief. The sound cut through my chest and shattered me. "KOVU!"

"Where's Dad? Gran, where's Dad?" I whimpered.

My grandmother's eyes filled with tears. I already knew. Just like grandpa, my father was not coming back. I saw my mother returning to the den, her eyes were huge and wide, and she swayed as she walked. But she looked resigned.

"He's gone." She told my grandmother. The words fell heavily from her lips. It was almost as if she was numb and couldn't feel anything. "They took him."

Grandma looked away in sadness. "May the Great Kings protect him."

"They must. At least until we can get them back."

"If we can," Grandma shot back.

My mother silenced her with a look. "We will. We have to. For Dad, for…Kovu…"

"Kiara, we must leave the Pridelands, they will come back, one day they will be back for…" Grandma trailed off, but I saw her eyes look down at me, and then away again. "Don't you care about your cubs?"

My mother roared. "Of course I do. They will take him over my dead body. I will fight them to the blood. No, Mother. I can't leave." Mother said, her teeth gritted. She pulled my closer and held me tightly. I held her too, sniffing.

"Then we must fight." Grandma said. "And you know what that means…"

"We will fight." Mother replied. "And I do. It will be difficult…but we have to."

That is all I can remember of the first threat. The dark shadows that came in the night and took my grandfather and father away. After that, I remember the world becoming harsher and darker, I remember my mother moving our pride away from Pride Rock, deep into the Pridelands to the caves that went deep into the earth. I remembered my mother training me and my sisters until our claws bled, and our muscles hardened to rock.

"You are the heir to the throne! You are the prince that will devour the darkness! Fight! Fight! Fight!" My mother growled, as she taught us how to fight. Around us, the lionesses of the pride fought equally hard.

At night, my mother put us to sleep, and told us the same thing every night. "This our land, and we must fight for it."

* * *

**Kiara**

I was the Queen of the Pridelands, and my reign had always been happy. I had a loving husband. And I had three beautiful cubs, Amun, Haika and Aiya. Then everything changed when the shadow lions took my father. One day, we saw strange lions in our territory, the next day they came to Pride Rock. I had never seen anything like them before. Their coats were either pitch black as charcoal or as white as clouds. Their eyes were gold and they never spoke.

Kovu and I had been friendly. The Pridelands was famous for its hospitality. But that night, while we were all sleeping in the den, they took my father.

I woke up, and saw them, two black lions and two white lions, standing around his body and chanting. When they saw I was awake they ran.

I let them run, confused, and went to my father but he wouldn't wake up. His eyes were open and he breathed, but inside he was dead. Before the other lionesses and the cubs could wake up, my mother and I moved my father deep inside the den. We vowed to not speak of what had happened until we had caught the strange lions.

We failed at every turn. They eluded us no matter what we did. We went to Rafiki, but in horror, found that he, too, had been "taken." My mother and I were unsure who would be taken next. Kovu tried everything to protect our pride and our family. At night, he and I trained. He taught me the cruel and dangerous ways of the Outlanders, and by day we tracked the strange lions: the Takers. We never found them.

One night, they came back, and Kovu and I were too weak to fight them. They took Kovu, and I thought they would take me too, but they didn't. They left me to suffer alone. My mother and I moved Kovu's body to where my father's, and Rafiki's lay.

It was obvious to me, we would have to fight them and drive them away from our lands, but we needed to be stronger, and we needed help.

I feared they would come for my son, just as they had come for my father and husband. I would train Amun to be strong, stronger than his father and I had been. I would be ruthless, but it was for his own good. I would send my young daughters to the neighboring prides to rally them to fight for our cause. And then I would launch an attack against the strange lions and drive them from our land.

I sit here now, watching my son sleep, and I feel fear course through me as it has done everyday since the Curse came to our lands. The only question in my head is: why? Why did this happen to us?

* * *

I want to be a writer one day. I'm sure everyone here on understands how that feels. That's why I want to ask everyone who reads this, just to leave _some_constructive criticism. I just want to get better, and learn to write things people want to read. Thanks. And now, departing from gawky seriousness, I would just like to say, in Michael Jackson's voice: "Thanks for reading! Ow!"


End file.
